Corrupted Code
by Griffin Stone
Summary: The teens once again find themselves in the bunker of The Hollow. It quickly becomes clear that something is different this time, because Adam and Mira still have their memories and something's wrong with Kai from the start. With new and old dangers and Kai acting increasingly strange the further they go, can the team make it all the way to the end?
1. The Room

**A/N: Hey, it's me, starting on a new fandom. XD This is another high impulse, low edit fic. Working on this is based entirely on how much I get done in my other stories. In other words, the more I get done with my main stories, the more I can goof around with this.**

**This takes place after the season's end. The plot is a combination of what I thought the show was doing and an old game I used to play. I won't tell you which game, but if you recognize the first couple lines in this chapter, you should be able to figure out what I'm doing with this.**

* * *

_"What do you remember about that day?"_

"_...a yellow raincoat."_

* * *

The first thing Adam was aware of was the feeling of cold stone through his shirt. A surge of something akin to panic shot through him a second later, making him gasp and jerk into a sitting position. His eyes shot open.

He was in a small stone room with a tall ceiling and no decorations. Two teens -a boy and a girl- were sprawled in opposite corners of the room.

Deja-vu filled Adam as he slowed his panicked breathing. He blinked a couple times and stood, going over to the girl. Crouching, he shook her shoulder.

"Hey, Mira, wake up," Adam said.

Mira's eyes snapped open. She jerked back, but didn't scramble away like… like she normally did.

Why did he know that?

"Adam?" Mira sat up and looked around. "Where are we?"

"Um… The Hollow, I think," Adam said slowly.

"You think? Why…" Mira blinked, realizing what they were saying. "H-how do we know where we are?"

They couldn't be anywhere but The Hollow. The squarish fingers and obvious lines in the stones kind of gave that away, but nobody was supposed to remember The Hollow while they were _in_ The Hollow!

"Maybe it's a glitch?" Adam suggested. He wondered if the game would end once the host realized what was going on. He hoped they wouldn't be disqualified.

"Weird glitch. Kai, is that possible?" Mira said. She looked past Adam. "Kai?"

Adam turned as the third member of their team remained silent. Kai hadn't moved from his spot on the floor. Adam stood and walked toward Kai, only to freeze halfway across the room.

Kai was laying almost completely still, the rapid rise and fall of his chest the only movement he gave. He'd always been kind of pale, but Adam thought his face was whiter than before. He was also dripping wet.

"Kai!" Mira rushed past Adam and knelt at their friend's side. "Come on, Kai, wake up!"

Kai twitched and mumbled something, but his eyes remained shut. Oddly, while the teens wore their usual attire for the game -Adam still found it strange that he knew this- Kai was now wearing a yellow raincoat as well. Why did he need a coat?

"He's not waking up," Mira said. She put a hand on his forehead, then flinched back. "He's freezing!"

"We should get him outside," Adam decided, shaking off his questions. "Where's the typewriter?"

The two teens scanned the room, but it was completely empty! Both the typewriter and vent in the floor were missing, though the grate twenty feet off the floor was still in place.

"It's a new puzzle," Adam said.

Mira perked up at the mention of a puzzle. She stood up and studied the grate, briefly distracted from Kai.

While Mira was busy, Adam knelt beside Kai. Realizing that he was laying in a puddle of water as well, Adam picked the other boy up. He was relieved to find he had his super strength as usual, making it easy to move Kai to a dry spot.

"Come on, Kai," Adam said as he propped Kai against the wall. "Wake up and help us figure a way out of here."

Kai twitched, his mouth forming words. Adam leaned closer, confusion growing as Kai murmured the same word over and over.

"Push… push…"

"He keep saying to push," Adam told Mira. "Is it a clue?"

Mira frowned at Adam, then turned to the wall. She studied it for a minute, then raised a hand and pressed it against a stone jutting ever so slightly out. She backed away as rumbling filled the room.

While the teens watched, a series of stones pushed out from the wall. There were a dozen of them, staggered to create a sort of staircase that didn't require two people or insane agility to climb.

Adam and Mira nodded to each other. Adam picked Kai up, and carefully made his way up the staircase until he reached the grate. Adam set Kai on the next to last stone, where Mira steadied him, then returned to the grate. He slammed his palm against the grate, crumpling the metal and tearing it from stone. Throwing the grate to the floor, Adam returned to Kai and Mira.

"Anything?" Adam asked.

Frowning at Kai's unconscious form, Mira shook her head. Adam sighed and scooped Kai back up. Navigating the small tunnel was a challenge, but Adam managed by scooting backwards with one arm looped under Kai's arms. Mira went first, in case the tunnel had something else new.

The teens reached the second grate without any issues, though. Adam flattened himself and Kai against the floor, allowing Mira to climb between them. Adam shuffled backward, then kicked out the new grate. He climbed onto the ladder, then he and Mira managed the tricky maneuver of getting Kai over Adam's shoulder so he could climb.

The whole escape was done without words. Adam and Mira remembered all of their past adventures in The Hollow, and a lot involved dragging an unconscious teammate through obstacles.

"What does this mean?" Mira finally asked halfway up the ladder.

"What?" Adam grunted, half-focused as he climbed with one hand.

"Kai. Nobody's ever started the game unconscious, not that I've heard. And there's the fact that we still remember everything."

"Either it's a new challenge, or it's a glitch," Adam said.

"You don't think something's wrong with Kai in the real world, do you?"

"Doubt it." Adam reached the ladder's end and speculated on how to open the hatch. "The real world doesn't affect The Hollow."

"Which we really shouldn't know," Mira added. "Does knowing this is just a game make you feel any better?"

Adam glanced at his pale, unconscious teammate slung over his shoulder. "No."

Throwing caution to the wind, Adam hooked one foot under a rung and let go with his climbing hand. He grabbed the hatch's wheel and gave it a fierce tug. The hatch opened easily. With Mira steadying him from below, Adam shoved the hatch open and performed an awkward scramble up a couple rungs, but lost his balance at the last second. As he fell backward, Adam threw Kai onto solid ground, then grabbed the edge of the hole.

"Adam?" Mira asked, worried.

"We're fine."

Adam climbed the rest of the way out of the hole and went to Kai as Mira exited. Kai had gone quiet at some point in the climb, which Adam wasn't sure how to take.

"Adam?" Mira said, sounding shaken.

Adam quickly looked at the girl. Mira was standing beside the hatch, nervously toying with her hair.

"What?"

"It's pretty quiet," Mira said lowly.

Adam stood, just noting the silence. They stood in a familiar forest, but the usual sounds were gone. It was night, but not even an owl's hoot broke the silence.

"That's good," Adam decided. "If those devil dogs were around, we'd hear them."

Mira rubbed her arms. "I don't like it. What do we do now?"

Adam shrugged. "Find that old laboratory? If this game is the same as the last one, there will be that medicine, right?"

Mira shook herself. "You're right. We should… get going."

Adam nodded and picked up Kai. Mira grabbed one of Kai's arms and threw it over her shoulder. Her help wasn't necessary, but she needed to feel Kai. Adam said nothing, and the teens started down a vague path that had always led the right way in the past.

* * *

"What do you remember last?" Mira asked after ten minutes of walking.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean…" Mira sighed. "I remember winning the championship, and a couple days passing."

"Yeah, we all hung out at the mall," Adam agreed.

"I remember leaving you two and being at home… then it's all blank. Did we start another Hollow game?"

"There's never a new game so soon after a championship," Adam said. "And I don't remember us having our own gear."

"Maybe only part of our memories were kept," Mira suggested.

"It's just so strange…" Adam shook his head.

He'd always preferred a challenge he could punch, not puzzles. That's why they made such a good team. He was the muscle, Mira was the brains, and Kai always found the way through the more obscure challenges.

"We probably won't know until we finish the game," Adam decided. "Let's get Kai fixed up, then find the talking tree. At least this way, we can skip the side quests."

Mira laughed at that. "Hey, I wonder who's on the opposite team."

"Kai."

Mira gave Adam an odd look. "Huh?"

Adam was giving Mira the same look. "I didn't say anything."

"Kai."

The teens froze. Slowly, they turned their heads to look behind them.

In the middle of the path, was a cloaked form astride a large white horse with red eyes. Skeletal hands clutched a massive sickle.

"Death?" Mira said. She and Adam shifted to face the Horseman. "Where's the others?"

The Four Horsemen were tricky to deal with until they're request was granted, but it was rare to see a Horseman alone. Usually, this meant they meant no harm and were simply wandering.

"They aren't here," Death hissed, his voice darker than Adam liked.

"No?" Mira said, apparently feeling the same as Adam as she matched him in backing up. "So wh-what are you up to?"

"I have a job to do." Death raised his scythe.

"Woah, woah, time out!" Adam yelped. "We just started the game, why would we be ready to die?"

"Not you…" Death hissed. His horse lunged as he yelled, "I'm here for Kai!"

* * *

**A/N: Even unconscious and having not done anything, Kai's going to die! Give that kid a break.**


	2. The Cure

**A/N: While I'm using the same setting as the show, I'd like to clarify that in the show timeline, there are all sorts of settings, challenges, and characters. While I'll be adding a few characters and probably taking out a few, the teens are following the challenges shown in the show because it's the game they did most recently and is therefor most familiar with.**

* * *

Mira didn't have a chance to even try to move, before Adam shoved against her. She tumbled off the path into the underbrush, briefly stuck under Kai when he rolled on top of her. Pushing Kai behind her -and further from the path- Mira sat up.

Adam was charging toward the Horseman. As Death's horse turned to follow Kai, Adam leaped. He caught the handle of Death's sickle, jerking him halfway off the horse. Death growled and swiped at Adam with his hand, forcing Adam to let go and fall to the ground.

Adam barely touched the ground before he leaped again, this time catching the horse's bridle. His feet touched the ground and he jerked, pulling the horse halfway to the ground.

Mr. Jeepers gave an infuriated trumpet that was slightly muffled by the bit pulling awkwardly at his mouth. Planting his hooves, Mr. Jeepers yanked Adam off his feet and flung him to the side.

Death turned toward Mira and Kai. Mira flinched away, shielding Kai with her body. Mr. Jeepers slowly turned and walked toward the teens.

"You can't have him!" Adam yelled, launching himself after the Horseman without even getting his feet properly under him.

Adam crashed into Mr. Jeepers, briefly distracting him. But Mira knew he couldn't hold out for long, and there would be no outrunning Mr. Jeepers. So she did the only thing she could think of.

"Help, please!"

"Already?" came the annoying response.

Mira looked away from Adam wrestling for Death's scythe, up toward the source of the voice.

Weirdy -Mira was calling him that from now on- was lounging on a tree branch. Even behind the sunglasses, his expression was distinctly unimpressed. So, the normal, really.

"Yes, already. Something's wrong," Mira snapped. "We need to get out of here."

Weirdy laughed, rocking dangerously backward. "Oh, you don't know how right you are!" He abruptly stopped laughing and sat up. "But are you sure your friend can take the power draining of a portal? His power points are already low."

Mira looked worriedly at Kai, then to Adam fighting Death, then back to Weirdy. "It's the only way out! We need to get him medicine."

Mr. Jeepers squealed, drawing Mira's attention. She gasped as the horse kicked Adam away, then broke into a gallop toward her and Kai!

"Just help us!" Mira yelled.

Weirdy hummed. "Alright… but no portals for you."

Before Mira could respond, Weirdy snapped his fingers. A glowing portal opened under Mr. Jeepers. Horse and Horseman tumbled into the portal to quickly to react. The portal flicked shut behind them.

Mira sighed. "Thanks, Weirdy."

"Anything to protect Kai," Weirdy said nonchalantly.

"There's two other people on his team, you know!"

Adam stumbled onto the path, yelling, "Mira! Death is… gone?"

"We had some help with him," Mira said, pointing at the eccentric host.

"Weird Guy!" Adam said. The guy seriously didn't have a real name, did he? "We need help!"

"Well, that much was obvious," Weirdy said. "And you got it."

"No, that's not it!" Adam looked at Mira. "Did you tell him?"

"Worried about a charging Death, so, no," Mira said. "Weirdy-"

Weirdy snorted. "I love it!"

Ignoring him, Mira went on, "Something's wrong with the game. Adam and I still have our memories, and Kai never woke up in the start."

"This isn't a game," Weirdy said.

Mira blinked. "That is… the most straight-forward thing you've ever said."

"However, if you lose, he wins. You win, he loses," Weirdy added. "So, eh, I guess you could call it a game."

And there was the rest of it. "Who wins if we lose?"

"The other team?" Adam guessed.

"No, he said 'he' not 'they,'" Mira said. "So… we are in a game?"

"The most important game you've ever been in!" Weirdy said. "It's a matter of life and death!"

"You've said that in previous games," Mira remembered. "But it's always just a game. Is this a new challenge? And why do we remember everything?"

"Oh, you remember everything?" Weirdy asked, ignoring the rest what Mira said. "Then you know the answers are at the end of the game."

"There's never answers, we just wake up," Adam said.

"You said it yourself, this a new kind of game," Weirdy said. He stood on the branch. "Well, this is my stop. Good luck!"

Weirdy stepped off the branch, disappearing somewhere between there and the ground. Mira and Adam stared at the empty space for a minute.

"So… it's not a glitch," Adam said. "This is how the game is supposed to go."

"Maybe that's why we have a blank spot in our memories. That was when Weirdy told us the new rules before the game," Mira guessed.

"I wonder what it is…" Adam rubbed his chin. "I can't even remember getting ready for a game. Do you?"

Mira shook her head. "He must have erased those, too. Come on, let's just finish the game and we can laugh about this later."

The teens picked up their unconscious friend and continued down the path.

* * *

It was a long, dark walk before the team reached a familiar clearing. Mira looked up as it suddenly got brighter. She raised an eyebrow as the cloudy sky cleared in seconds.

"That would have been nice to have earlier," Adam said, flicking dried mud from an unseen mud puddle earlier in the hike from his shoes.

Mira didn't comment, only followed Adam's lead in dragging Kai to the abandoned building. She carefully nudged the door open with her foot, then the duo shuffled inside.

"I've got Kai," Adam said, taking the teen toward a chair. "Find that medicine."

"Watch out for the devil dogs," Mira reminded him.

The devil dogs were always around abandoned labs, and usually showed up within minutes of the team finding the lab. The team had never found a way to scare off the devil dogs, though they became docile around Death.

While Adam closed windows and doors, Mira first stopped the record player. The Hollow was weird enough without the odd music. She found the test tubes and scanned over the labels.

"Leap, invisible, stretch." She paused. "Why didn't we ever try these before?"

"Because everything but the All-Heal has weird side effects." Adam shoved a desk in front of the door. "Remember when Kai drank the leap stuff and glowed for the rest of the game?"

"Oh, yeah." Mira picked up the invisible serum, which had once caused her to get uncontrollable hiccups the entire time she was invisible. "But why haven't we tried them every time?"

"Because we're usually trying to not get eaten." Adam peered through a shutter, then closed it. "Did you find it yet?"

Mira checked the last two bottles. One was labelled "All-Heal," which she grabbed gratefully. She squinted at the bottle behind it.

"Restore? I don't remember this one." Mira picked up the bottle of clear liquid, and saw there was smaller print below. "'Suggested for use after portal-jumps and low power'? Adam, look at this."

"It's just another potion," Adam said. surveyed his work. "Does it actually say what it does?"

"Yeah." Mira looked at the other bottles. "Hey, all of these have what they do and the side affects… ew, it's a good thing we never used the mind reading."

"Why?"

"It says there's a high chance of throwing up."

"Why would someone make a potion like that?"

"At least there's a warning this time. Kai always said they needed to add an explanation to the potions."

"He also calls the bag our inventory." Adam grabbed the satchel from the chair it always hung on. "Did you find the All-Heal?"

"Yeah, but…" Mira remembered something Weirdy had said. "I don't think Kai is sick."

Adam raised an eyebrow and waved a hand Kai.

"But he isn't sick. No fever or injuries. Weirdy said he was 'low on power points.' When has Weirdy ever mentioned power points in the game?"

"About as often as we keep our memories," Adam said.

"I think we should try the Restore," Mira decided.

"I guess it can't hurt. Unless it makes him float," Adam said.

Adam sat Kai up. Kai's head lolled forward until Adam held it up. Kai twitched at the motion, mumbling under his breath.

"'Darkness?'" Mira repeated, worried. "Is he dreaming, or what?"

"I don't know, but this is giving me a bad feeling," Adam muttered. "Hurry up."

Mira poured a bit of the Restore in Kai's mouth, then waited when he automatically swallowed.

"How long before-"

Adam's question was cut off by a howl from outside. Adam and Mira jumped, then Kai gave a yell. Mira looked back to see Kai's eyes wide open.

"Kai!"

Kai flinched, hands coming up to smack away Adam's. Kai attempted to jump away, but stumbled and fell to his knees. Before Adam or Mira could react, he flipped around and scooted away on his butt.

"Where am I?!" Kai demanded.

"Easy, we're just in the lab," Mira soothed.

Kai's eyes widened. "The what?"

"The lab. You know, the old creepy place with devil dogs guarding it?" Adam said.

Kai's eyes got even wider. "The what?! What's going on? Who are you guys?"

Mira sighed. "I think we should have seen this one coming. Kai, it's us, Mira and Adam. We're your teammates."

Kai pushed his back against the far wall. "I don't know what you're talking about. Who's Kai?"

"It's you," Mira said. Kai stared at her. "Look, just… just check your pockets."

Kai didn't move for a second. Then, he shifted to lift his right hand. Mira saw him grimace, then he adjusted to use his left hand to check his pockets. He pulled out a scrap of paper and stared at it.

Eventually, Kai asked, "Are you sure it's not 'Kay?'"

"He's fine," Adam said with a grin. "And, yeah, it's Kai."

Kai eyed them suspiciously. "How can I trust you?"

Mira searched for an explanation, but this was the first time they'd ever had to explain themselves to someone who couldn't remember! A group of howls cut off her thoughts.

"Maybe you don't want to trust us," Adam said, stepping forward. "But we know how to get out of here before those devil dogs get here."

"Great argument," Mira whispered.

Adam shrugged. "It works." He stepped forward as Kai shakily stood. "Now come on, we have to- woah!"

Adam ducked a sloppy punch from Kai. The momentum sent Kai stumbling forward, forcing Adam to catch his teammate.

"Woah, chill out," Adam said when Kai squirmed. "I know you can't remember us, but we're your friends!"

Kai gave up his struggles to grab his head. "Ugh, my head! If you really know me, what happened to me? Why can't I remember?"

"We'll explain everything, but later. We don't have time." Adam helped Kai straighten. "Just trust us."

Kai studied Adam and Mira for a moment, then gave a firm nod. He stepped away from Adam, steady now though he was holding his right shoulder.

"Something's really wrong with the game," Mira said. A very close howl came from the outside. "We can figure it out later. Run!"

Adam shoved his barricade from the door and the teens rushed outside. Mira kept an eye on Kai, but he was at least running fine. Adam had the keys out by the time they reached the gate, and had the gate open in seconds.

"It's always the same key," Adam explained as he slammed the gate shut and locked it.

"Okay…" Kai said. "Why were we-"

Three devil dogs burst into the clearing on the other side of the fence. Mira flinched and Kai let out a startled yell.

"Just keep running!" Adam yelled, taking the lead.

Mira didn't need any more urging and Kai was off like a shot. The teens sprinted down the path.

"Adam," Mira huffed. "Don't forget to stop!"

Kai glanced back. "Stop?"

"Yep!" Adam skidded to a halt and threw out an arm. "Stop!"

Kai crashed into Adam's arm, effectively stopping him from running off the cliff. Kai glared at Adam, then looked down and paled.

"Thank you…" Kai drooped to the ground.

Mira glanced back. The devil dogs were still busy digging.

"Do you see a boat or anything below?" Mira asked.

"Nothing," Adam said. "Do we check the woods, follow the cliffline for a boat, or…?"

"What? Or what?" Kai asked worriedly.

A devil dog bayed as it scrambled out from under the fence. Mira nodded to Adam, who wrapped an arm around Kai.

"We jump!" Mira yelled, doing just that.

Adam jumped after her, dragging a screaming Kai with him. Ignoring Kai, Mira yelled.

"Help, please!"

"Again? You guys really are helpless!"

Mira twisted to see Weirdy falling along with them. "If there was a way to actually defeat those things, we wouldn't always need your help with them!"

"Eh, where's the fun in that?" Weirdy asked.

"Who is he? Where did he come from?" Kai asked. "And what's with the sunglasses?"

"The big questions I'll never figure out," Adam muttered. "Look Weird Guy, stop criticizing our style and just help us!"

"Fine." Weirdy snapped, opening a glowing portal at the ocean's surface. "Anything to help Kai."

"There's two other people on this team!" Mira snapped, then they fell into the light of the portal.

* * *

**A/N: Does anyone else refer to Adam's satchel as the team's "Inventory" or is it just me? XD**


	3. The Fire

Light enveloped Kai, bright enough to penetrate his closed eyelids. A brief sensation of weightlessness filled him, then gravity dragged him down. The temperature plummeted as the light faded to normalcy. Before he could even open his eyes, Kai fell face-first into something frigid.

Kai tried to move away from the cold, but exhaustion weighed him down. He let his face rest in the cold, feeling his consciousness fading.

"Hey, you have to get up!" Adam yelled in his ear, making Kai jump.

Kai wearily lifted his head and squinted at Adam. "Why?"

"We'll freeze if we stay here," Adam said. "Come on, there's shelter right over there!"

Wondering where even "here" was, Kai looked around. They appeared to have dropped into the middle of a frozen wasteland. Nothing but snow, ice… and a small building with a rounded roof a hundred feet away.

"That's convenient," Kai commented, working his elbows under him.

"That's usually how it works," Mira said. She was kneeling beside Kai, seemingly to struggle as much as Kai for the strength to stand. "But there's warm clothes inside. Come on."

Adam pulled Kai to his feet, despite how much he was swaying himself. Mira got halfway to her feet before her legs collapsed. Kai automatically grabbed her arm, steadying her while she stood up fully. The three teens, leanind haphazardly on each other, stumbled through the snow to the building and inside.

There was little inside the building, but it was at least out of the wind. Adam let Kai fall to the floor, then closed the door behind them.

"Too bad you can't remember your fire power," Adam said. He walked across the room, his steps seeming drunken with all his wobbling. "That would be great."

Kai hummed, too tired to really wonder what Adam meant. His eyes fell closed. He felt something drop over him, then everything faded.

* * *

Kai woke to a soaked shirt. He groaned as he dragged his eyes open. He stared at the ceiling for a moment before sitting up.

A thick brown coat had been draped across him, providing warmth. Lifting the coat, Kai watched a few small pieces of ice drop from inside his raincoat. He must have gotten snow inside the raincoat, and it had melted while he slept. Kai shook away the remaining ice, then looked around.

The building -some sort of outpost, Kai figured from the notes scribbled on a chalkboard- was cluttered with random junk. A desk and chair sat against one wall, and shelves were scattered around the small space.

Adam and Mira, still asleep, were curled together on Kai's left side. Mira's back was pressed against Kai's legs. Both had a coat over them.

Kai leaned back on his hands, studying the pair. He didn't remember the other two teens, but he felt a draw to them. From the start, he'd somehow known he had to follow them.

It was so odd. He had no memories, no hints at his past. A dull ache ran up his right side and a lingering headache had him grimacing, but no memory of why.

How did he get here? Kai closed his eyes, concentrating. What did he remember? Try as he might, though, Kai couldn't bring up any memories. He opened his eyes with a sigh and stared blankly at the wall.

Mira stirred, drawing Kai back to the present. He looked down as the girl opened her eyes. She sat up and moved slowly away, leaving Adam undisturbed.

"Hey," Mira said, sitting beside Kai.

"Hey."

The pair sat in silence for a moment. Kai glanced at Mira, who was chewing her lip, then to Adam.

"He'll probably sleep awhile longer," Mira said. "We were low on power points already, and dragging the two of us inside probably drained him."

Kai raised an eyebrow. "'Power points'? Like, a video game?"

For some reason, Mira grinned. "Exactly like that."

"What's that mean?" Kai asked.

"Well, it's… this is going to sound crazy," Mira said, glancing away.

"Try me."

"We're inside a video game," Mira said.

"Inside a… how?"

"It's a VR game called The Hollow. We do this a lot together. We compete against another team to reach the end. This is our characters, and we have power points. Get too low, and we have to rest to recharge."

"Huh." Kai cocked his head. "Cool."

"You're taking this well," Mira said, sounding relieved.

Kai shrugged. "If you were going to lie, I think you could come up with a less crazy sounding idea. Plus…" Kai looked intently at Mira. "I feel like I can trust you."

Mira visibly relaxed. "That… feels so good to hear. We've been teammates for The Hollow for years. We're the best team out there, we went right to the championship and won! I was afraid you'd freak and take off."

"Where? We're in the middle of nowhere," Kai said, gesturing vaguely.

"It's not too far," Mira said, frowning thoughtfully. "There's a castle nearby, but we should probably stay away from it unless absolutely necessary."

Kai raised an eyebrow as Mira shuddered. "Why?"

"We almost lost Adam there once," Mira said softly. She jerked straighter, eyes widening. "Oh! Oh, we are so far off course now!"

Curious at Mira's abrupt change, Kai cocked his head. Mira noticed and explained.

"Normally, we don't know we're in a game. We just wake up and have to blindly work our way through these really random quests until we get to the end. But, for some reason, Adam and I kept our memories."

"You know how to get out of here?" Kai asked eagerly.

"Yeah! I mean, if the challenge is the same." Mira pursed her lips. "But retrieving the Ishibo is usually an important part of the game. And even when she doesn't need us to get her arm, the talking tree is always helpful."

"I got… none of that," Kai said.

Mira laughed. "Don't worry. So far, everything seems to be the same as the championship level of The Hollow. All we have to do is get out of the game before the crazy glitching."

"You're being vague on purpose," Kai said, pouting.

"I'm not, honest. Just thinking out loud." Mira looked at Adam, who slept on, then stood. "And, hey, as I'm explaining things, I know something that will help us. You know what game players get?"

"Additional lives?"

"Even better. Super powers!"

Kai blinked up at her. Surely she wasn't pulling his leg?

"It's true! I can talk to animals and breathe underwater, and Adam has extreme strength and agility. It's the only reason he was able to get us both in here."

"Huh." Kai looked at Adam, then back to Mira. "What do I have?"

"Fire powers and super tech knowledge. I mean, you're pretty techy in real life, but in The Hollow, it's almost superhuman. You've said a couple times that it's like the tech is talking to you, like animals talk to me."

That sounded pretty cool. Kai wished there was something in the room to try his "super tech knowledge" on. Then, he thought about the first power.

"Fire powers?"

"Yeah. You can make fire in your hands and control any fire. Sometimes, you learn how to make fire blasts out of your hands to fly!"

"That sounds amazing," Kai said, staring at his hands in awe. "How do I do it?"

"Not a clue. I've never used the fire powers in the past. Adam did, a couple times, but you've always used it the best of the three of us."

Kai flexed his hand. It was so weird, listening to Mira talk about them being a team, things he'd said and done in the past. He felt like he'd been erased from his own life.

"Hm…" Kai turned his head back and forth. Maybe if he could make a fire, things would start to make sense. "How does this work? Fire!"

Fire burst to life in his palm, bright and warm, _blinding, searing his lungs, burning his palms-_

"Kai!"

Kai's eyes shot open. He was on his hands and knees, gulping cold, clean air. His head pounded and his limbs shook. He tasted blood and his tongue hurt like crazy.

"Kai, look at me, please!"

Kai lifted his head. Mira knelt in front of him, tears in her eyes. Adam was sitting up and blinking at him.

Kai looked at his hands, clean and whole. Back up to his teammates.

"Is that normal?" Kai asked shakily.

"No." Adam shook his head. "It's not. I knew it. Something is really wrong."

* * *

**A/N: I know that the teens are only supposed to have only one power, but I couldn't figure out how Mira's mermaid and animal-talking powers were connected. Plus, the wiki said Adam gets super strength _and_ agility. So, I just super-powered Kai's techiness. **


	4. The Ocean

**A/N: There was some, like... fifth wall breaking in this chapter or something. XD**

* * *

Adam paced from one end of the room to the other, brow furrowed. Mira watched him with a frown, and Kai studied his hands. Finally, Adam stopped and turned to his teammates.

"Our only solution is to finish the game. Whatever's going on will make sense when we're back in the real world," Adam decided. "Let's just get the Ishibo and get out."

"How do we know the Ishibo will fix everything?" Mira asked. "What if we have to do something different? The Ishibo would be too easy because we know what we're doing."

"It's all we have to go on. Do you want to just wander around?" Adam asked.

"Anyplace is better than here," Kai said.

Kai wrapped his arms around himself and shivered. Adam thought it was odd. Kai was always the last one to get cold of the team. His fire powers naturally kept him warm, even when he hadn't mastered or discovered them.

What was wrong with the game? Weird Guy hadn't seemed concerned over the remaining memories or Kai's condition.

Of course, he never really cared about anything. Adam had never seen him in any mood other than careless, quirky, and full of unhelpful hints. Mira and Kai had seen him freak out once, in the championship, but Adam had been kind of unconscious then.

Maybe it wasn't the game that was messed up. What if Kai was? Had something gone wrong when he'd been hooked into the game? Was that possible?

"Our best shot is to find the talking tree," Adam said, focusing on what to do next. "She's always guided us in the right direction."

"We can do that," Mira said. "Once we get to the mainland, we can navigate our way to the talking tree."

Adam's eyes widened. He shoved his hand into the satchel, realizing he'd never even looked at the map! With everything playing out the same as the familiar last level, he hadn't bothered or had time.

Adam dug through the satchel. It was only half full with the bottles of Restore and All-Heal, the handy keys, a first-aid kit, a flashlight, and, finally, the map on the bottom.

Adam pulled out the map and opened it. He cocked his head with a frown.

The lab and arctic hideout stood starkly against a pure black background. The compass rose in the corner gleamed in silver.

"Mira, have our maps ever done this?" Adam asked, turning the map.

Mira frowned. "No. The blank parts have always been the same color as the paper."

"Maybe we have to clear out the darkness," Kai said. "That's a game thing, right?"

"Not that we've seen in The Hollow." Mira shrugged. "Maybe it's a new challenge."

"We're getting out of here without searching every place on the map if I can help it," Adam said. "There's a few places I'd like to avoid."

"Like?" Kai asked.

"The ice castle, way too many things have tried to kill us in the desert, the ghost town… at night," Adam listed off.

Mira gasped. "The other team!"

Adam winced. "Yeah, them too. Unless they aren't a ruthless as Vanessa's team, maybe we can work together for once. This is just too weird for me."

"Okay, so, which way to the talking tree?" Kai asked.

Adam pointed to the general area of where the tree would be. "Getting to the mainland won't be easy, and I have no idea where we'll end up."

"Wait, what about a portal to get there?" Kai asked.

"No, that won't work," Mira said. "Weirdy rarely sends us to where we ask, and he never sends us to the tree. We'd probably end up with the minotaurs."

"Oh…" Kai blinked. "'Weirdy?'"

"I'm pretty sure he doesn't have a real name, even in real life," Mira said. "But he's the one who hosts the game. He comes if we call, but he only really gives vague hints and unhelpful teleporting."

"Okay, swimming it is. Let's go!"

Adam smiled at Kai's impatience. Then again, he didn't really blame him.

The teens zipped up their coats and quickly searched the building for any other supplies.

"Kai, are you okay?" Mira's question made Adam turn.

Kai was rubbing his right arm, but he quickly dropped his hand at Mira's question. "I'll be fine. My arm just kind of hurts."

Kai went back to searching, ending the conversation. It didn't stop Adam from noticing the tentative way he moved his hurting arm, though. How badly did it hurt?

Adam shivered when wind blasted him in the face. He flipped up the hood, breathing a sigh of relief when he quickly warmed up.

Adam scanned the area. He saw the ocean not far away and started toward it, but stopped when Mira grabbed his arm.

"I hear trouble," Mira said.

Adam strained his ears. Over the sound of the wind, he detected a distant roar. He looked at Mira.

"Polar bear cub stuck under the ice?"

Mira nodded.

"Alright, let's go," Adam said, letting Mira take the lead.

"I thought we were avoiding the random quests," Kai said, though he didn't hesitate to follow.

"I know, I know." Mira sighed. "But I can't just ignore her! Besides, after we save her cub, maybe she can help us. We're too far south for whales or dolphins to help us. If I can convince her to push, we could get our ice raft to warmer waters quicker."

"Polar bear power," Kai said, snickering.

Adam shook his head, but was relieved. Kai tended to be the first person on the team to freak when things got weird, but he seemed to be taking everything in stride.

Before long, Adam was able to make out a vague shape against the white. He and Kai slowed when the polar bear lifted its head and roared, but Mira didn't.

"We want to help!" Mira called. "We can get your cub out!"

The polar bear stopped roaring and gave a rumbling groan. Mira stopped beside her and said something quietly. Adam and Kai caught up as Mira whipped off her coat. Throwing the coat to Adam, Mira dove into a small hole in the ice.

"What, she's just going to leave us here with angry mama bear?" Kai asked, edging away from the polar bear.

"Yeah, she did that last time," Adam said, smiling. "Don't worry, mama bear is too upset over her missing cub to care about us."

Kai took another long step back. Adam ignored the mama bear and crouched beside the hole to wait for Mira to return.

And wait.

And wait…

"How long can polar bear cubs hold their breath?" Kai whispered.

"I don't know," Adam said, eyes trained on the dark water. "But it's been too long."

A bleat made Adam jerk his head up. The mama bear bellowed and ran out of sight. Adam spun to follow her path.

The polar bear cub rounded a snowdrift, bleating happily to his mother. The mama bear curled her paw lovingly around the cub.

Adam's attention was quickly pulled to Mira stumbling up behind the cub. "Mira!"

Adam rushed to Mira, just in time to catch her when her shaking legs gave out. She was pale and blue-lipped. Adam pulled off his own coat and wrapped the warmed coat around Mira before putting Mira's coat on himself.

"Mira, what happened?" Adam asked, frantically rubbing his gloves up and down Mira's arms.

"F-found c-c-cub b-by dif-fferent-t h-hole," Mira shivered out. "W-wouldn't hav-ve m-made it-t b-back h-here."

So Mira had been soaked and exposed to the elements. Maybe not long, but in the artic, Adam knew that was deadly.

"Hang on, Mira, we'll get you warmed up," Adam said, scooping up his shivering teammate. "Come on, Kai, let's get her back to the outpost."

Kai looked back. "That will take too long! We have to warm her up now!"

"And how do you propose that?" Adam snapped, pushing past Kai and stomping past the happy polar bears.

"We need fire," Kai said, jogging up beside Adam.

Adam glanced at Kai, but remained silent. Kai moved in front of Adam and stopped, forcing Adam to halt as well.

"Kai, we don't have time for this!" Adam said.

Kai's eyes closed. He pulled off a glove and held out his left hand, palm up. He took a deep breath, held it, then let it out.

Nothing happened.

Kai peeked at his hand, then clenched his eyes shut again. Adam shifted Mira. Her shivering was slowing, but he didn't think that was a good thing when she seemed to have fallen unconscious.

"Come on, you can do it," Kai murmured to himself. "I can control it… Come on, Mira needs this! Fire!"

Fire blazed to life in his palm.

Adam didn't dare move, afraid his friend was about to freak. Instead, Kai opened his eyes. He looked at the fire in his palm and grinned.

"Nothing to it," Kai said confidently.

Not going to question Kai's calm, Adam knelt so Mira was protected from the worst of the wind. Kai knelt close in front of him, removing his second glove to create more fire.

Before long, the team had a small pocket of warmth in the midst of the arctic. Adam noticed the snow melting around Kai's knees and wondered if he was heating himself up as well.

Mira stopped shivering and opened her eyes. She blinked at the sight of Kai's flames, but didn't comment.

"How do you feel?" Adam asked after a moment.

"Much better," Mira said, smiling. "Thanks, Kai."

Kai closed his hands, fingers extinguishing the flames. "Anytime."

"Are you okay?" Adam asked.

Kai nodded. "I'm fine." He flexed his right hand. "Better than fine, actually. My arm doesn't hurt anymore!"

"Really?" Mira stood, prompting the boys to do the same. "Why would your arm suddenly stop hurting?"

Adam shook his head. "I wonder if all this even makes sense in the real world. This feels like a half-planned plot thrown together in the hopes that nobody notices the inconsistencies."

"The Hollow rarely makes sense," Mira said. "I mean, portals, talking trees, witches, crazy old guys wearing sunglasses in underground tunnels?"

"Wait, what?" Kai said. "Who came up with this, anyway?"

Adam opened his mouth to respond, then hesitated. He looked at Mira, who shrugged.

"I always assumed Weirdy," Mira said.

"You mean the guy who apparently doesn't have a name and regularly puts teenagers into a mind-altering VR?" Kai said skeptically.

The teens stared at each other for a long moment.

"You know what?" Adam finally said. "Let's not think about it."

"Agreed," said his teammates.

* * *

Mira had been right about the polar bears' help. Once Mira made her request, the polar bears were guiding them to the ocean. Kai cut out a patch of ice, then their new furry friends were pushing them swiftly away.

Adam watched the arctic landscape vanish into the horizon, then sat beside his teammates.

"They can't take us all the way to land," Mira said, petting the cub's head. "But they can get us far enough out for me to call a whale for a ride."

"We get to ride a whale?" Kai asked, eyes wide. He was playing with a marble-sized ball of fire in his palm.

"It's the fastest way across the ocean," Mira said.

"How many ways have we crossed the ocean?" Kai asked.

"Whales, dolphins, a turtle so big it was practically an island…"

While Mira talked, Adam found his head drooping down. He jerked his head up and blinked blearily. He hadn't realized how tired he was. He tried to focus on the conversation, but it was all stuff he already knew.

Before Adam knew it, his chin was resting on his chest. His eyelids fluttered in a final attempt to stay awake. The others' voices faded, then vanished as he gave in.

* * *

_Please wait… please wait…_

Adam would have blinked at the words, but his eyes were still closed. Was this some new "sleeping sequence" for the game? As he stared at the flashing words, Adam decided he preferred the instantaneous flash-forward of times past.

_Loading…_

Finally! Adam sighed, distantly feeling his lungs fulfill the action. He felt his body stir, then heard a voice.

"_Listen!"_

Weird Guy?

"_You have-" _the voice stuttered and glitched out- "_Kai to the end!"_

"What is it with you and Kai?" Adam wanted to ask.

"_Kai-" _another warble of gibberish- "_-danger! Kai is the only-"_

"Hey, Adam, wake up!"

Adam started, eyes snapping open. He sat up quickly and looked quickly around.

The ice was long gone. He was sitting on a whale with Kai and Mira -who wore identical confused frowns- beside a steep cliffside. He stared across the ocean for a moment before turning to his friends.

"Are you okay?" Mira asked.

"Yeah." Adam rubbed his eyes. "Just a dream."

"We can dream in a VR game?" Kai asked. He leaped from the whale to a ledge on the cliff. "Isn't that like dreaming in a dream?"

"We've had stranger things happen," Adam said. He stood, shaking off the lingering tension from the odd dream.

"I wouldn't put that past Weirdy," Mira said.

"It was weird," Adam commented as he and Mira joined Kai. "I heard That Weird Guy's voice. He was telling me to get Kai to the end."

"What's up with him and Kai?" Mira asked.

"That's what I wanted to ask," Adam said. "But I couldn't. He just said something about danger and Kai being the only one who could do something, then I woke up."

"You were talking in your sleep." Mira waved at the whale. "Bye! Thanks for the ride!" Mira turned back to Adam as the whale sank from view. "You kept saying, 'talk to me'."

"To who?" Adam asked.

Mira shrugged. "I don't know. You kept doing that until Kai said your name."

"Huh." Adam rubbed his head. "Well, it was just a dream. Come on, let's see where we're at."

Mira nodded, and the teens started climbing. Adam could have climbed to the top in a matter of seconds, but he held back to help Mira and Kai up the wall so they all reached the top at the same time.

The team hauled themselves over the edge. Mira and Kai flopped to the ground, panting, but Adam pushed himself to his feet. He groaned when he saw where they were.

Sand stretched endlessly in front of them, and the temperature seemed to rise in a matter of seconds. Rocks randomly dotted the landscape, but there was nothing else.

"Come on, the desert?" Mira grumbled as she also stood. "Any place is better than here."

"Even the arctic?" Kai asked, sitting up.

"Even the arctic," Adam confirmed.

"Okay, so which way do we go?" Kai asked.

Adam dug out the map and opened it. A new section of the map had been cleared. Adam guessed they were about in the middle of the desert coastland.

"We can either go north and hope to come across the junkyard," Adam said, "Or we can go south and find the forest that leads back to the lab."

"There's nothing to help us at the lab," Mira said. "Besides, that means getting past the minotaurs and devil dogs. It's too risky."

"But the Four Horsemen are at the junkyard," Adam said. "And Death really has it in for Kai."

"I don't know anyone named Death," Kai said obliviously.

"If we stick to the coast, maybe we can avoid them," Mira suggested. "Kai fixing up one of the ships is our best shot, though. We could fly over the forest in search of the talking tree, instead of the roundabout way we took last time."

"Death was far from the junkyard earlier," Adam admitted slowly. "Worst case scenario, we could call for help and teleport away."

"And hope we don't end up back at the arctic," Mia said. "It might be our best shot…"

Adam looked down the coastline toward the south. There was a large outcrop of rocks nearby forming a small cave. Something shifted in the shadows, making Adam stiffen.

"Adam?" Mira said. She followed his eyes.

The pink-clad witch cackled in the shadows. "Remember! Death is your friend!"

Kai made an odd sound in the back of his throat and spun in the opposite direction. "And we go the other way!"

Adam and Mira hurried to follow. Adam shuddered as the witch yelled her "advice" at their retreating backs.

"Death is your friend!"

* * *

**A/N: -author snickering- I had too much fun with this one. Don't worry, all my "inconsistancies" are intentional and will eventually make sense!**

**Maybe. XD**

**But, seriously, feel free to question the inconsistancies. Some might have slipped through without a reason.**


	5. The Race

**A/N: Conversations are a bit clunky, but Kai really needs to know I and couldn't figure out a better way to ask it.**

* * *

The teens walked north for several hours without seeing anything beyond sand and the occasional rock. They'd ditched their artic coats long before and rolled up sleeves. Kai tied his raincoat around his waist.

The walk was fairly quiet beyond their steps. Adam acted distracted, glancing back often and frowning into the distance. Mira was watching Adam, so Kai just studied his surroundings.

"So, how do we find the junkyard?" Kai asked when he got tired of staring at the sand.

Adam shrugged. "Just keep heading north."

"Is the layout the same for every game?" Kai asked.

"Pretty close, usually," Mira said. "Sometimes, things will get moved around or removed."

Kai raised an eyebrow. "But you know the junkyard will be there, right? Right?"

"Well…" Mira shrugged. "Hopefully?"

"So, in other words, we might be walking all this way for nothing."

"There'd better be something there," Adam said. "The desert always takes a toll on Mira."

"Because of her water-based abilities?" Kai guessed.

"Hm, I never thought of that," Mira said. "But, I get heatstroke easily in real life, so I think it just carries into The Hollow."

"So that Weird Guy can put our minds in a hugely complicated VR game, but he can't change how we react to the sun?" Kai rolled his eyes. "I've got some suggestions for him when we get out of here."

Adam chuckled. "Well, he's listening right now, so maybe he'll take it into consideration."

Kai ground to a halt. "Wait, what? He can hear us?"

"And see us," Adam added.

"Isn't that an invasion of privacy?" Kai asked.

"We agreed to it before we started the game," Adam said, like that made it any better.

"But he sees everything? Well, I'm never sleeping." Kai's eyes widened. "What happens when we have to… go?" Come to think of it, neither had been an issue beyond sleeping to recover from the portal.

Adam grinned. "Relax. Part of the game prevents our game selves from having to go to the bathroom or even stink, so we don't have to wash unless we get muddy. And even then, our clothes dry fine while we wear them."

"Well, that's… kind of better." Kai crossed his arms. "Only a bit."

Kai glanced at Mira, wondering about her thoughts on the topic. But, she didn't seem to be paying attention to the boys, instead staring into the distance.

"What do you think, Mira?" Kai asked.

Mira lifted a hand. "I think I've already been in the sun too long, unless you guys are seeing that turtle, too."

"A turtle. In the desert." Kai looked in the direction Mira was pointing. "...nope, I see it, too. What are the chances we're both seeing things?"

"It would have to be all three of us," Adam said. "I see it, too."

Kai wasn't sure from where the turtle could have come, because the desert was fairly flat and the turtle was only a hundred feet away. Plus, the turtle seemed pretty big, at least the size of a dining room table!

Then someone in a large brown cloak stood up from the turtle's back, and Kai knew he'd lost it.

Kai contemplated running, but his teammates hadn't moved. Maybe they knew this turtle-riding stranger?

"Well, that's new," Mira said.

Or not. "Should we run?"

"No, let's wait," Adam said.

Kai nearly asked who had made Adam the leader, but stopped himself. Because, he had to have at some point. Apparently. Nothing like not remembering making the decision of who was team leader.

The turtle came closer with excruciating slowness. Eventually, the giant turtle came to a stop in front of the team.

"Hi," Adam said, waving a little. "Uh, what are you doing all the way out here?"

"I could ask you the same thing," said the stranger.

They pushed back the hood of the cloak, revealing a girl about Kai's age. Her pale skin almost glowed in the bright sun, and she had intense blue eyes. She flicked her braid of dirty-blonde hair from where it rested around her neck like a scarf so it laid down her back.

"We're looking for a way out," Adam said. "You?"

"It's quiet," the girl said. She turned her head away, but Kai could see her watching them out of the corner of her eye. She glanced back to them. "Name's Charlie. This is Zippy."

Kai eyed the turtle. Zippy. _Right_.

"I'm Adam," Adam said. "This is Mira and Kai. Have you seen a giant junkyard around here?"

Charlie shook her head. "Not in this desert."

"Is there another desert?" Kai asked.

"Probably," Charlie said carelessly. "Never checked."

"Why not?"

"There's no need."

"That's not really an answer."

"Why leave someplace I'm content to be?"

"Huh?"

Mira put a hand on Kai's shoulder. "It's… best to not question the other characters. You won't get much more."

If Charlie was offended about being referred to as a "character," she didn't show it. Instead, she gave Adam a delighted grin.

"But I have an idea! Let's have a race. One of you against Zippy here. If you win, I'll lend him to you for a day to ride."

Adam cocked his head. "Well, it would be better than walking."

"Wait." Mira stepped forward. "What happens if we lose?"

Charlie smiled again. Kai could have sworn there was something evil this time, though. Had her teeth always been so pointy?

"Zippy is precious to me. If you lose," Charlie said, voice rumbling. "I take something precious of yours." Charlie blinked, then her smile was once again chipper and her voice went back to normal. "Deal?"

"Let me just check with my teammates," Adam said.

Kai hurried away from the girl with his team. For a moment, he thought Adam had caught onto Charlie's… maliciousness was such a strong word, but…

"I'll run," was all Adam said, though.

"No!" Kai blurted.

"Kai's right," Mira said. Kai sighed in relief. "Give him a chance."

Kai face-palmed. "I don't want to run. I don't think any of us should."

Adam raised an eyebrow. "Why not?"

"It's just…" Kai hesitated. Would his teammates mock him if he told them he thought she was evil? "I've got a bad feeling."

Adam and Mira quickly sobered. Mira glanced at Charlie and Zippy, then leaned closer.

"What kind of bad feeling?" Mira asked.

"You're actually going with this?" Kai asked.

"When it comes to The Hollow, it's a good idea to follow instincts," Adam said. "NPCs are a little easier to place as good guys and bad guys. If you think there's something off with Charlie, we should be cautious."

Kai peeked over his shoulder. Charlie was simply watching them with a tilted head. There wasn't anything malevolent in her gaze now. She just seemed to be a normal girl. With a giant turtle. Challenging them to a race. In the desert.

Which, for some reason, didn't seem so not normal so maybe Kai was just subconsciously remembering the game.

Either that, or he was losing it.

"Should we still race?" Adam asked.

"Something tells me we don't have a choice," Mira said. "Now that Kai's mentioned it, there's something off with Zippy."

Kai looked at the turtle and didn't mention he thought the turtle was the most normal thing he'd encountered since waking up in the lab.

"Don't worry, I can beat a turtle," Adam said confidently.

"I think Kai should run," Mira said.

"Why? I'm faster," Adam said, looking at Kai.

Kai, taking Adam's word for it, nodded.

"Maybe on foot," Mira said. "But if Charlie's up to something, then Kai is our secret weapon."

"Uh, usually the secret weapon knows the secret," Kai said.

"It's your fire," Mira said. "Do you remember when I told you that you can use your fire to fly? You can go really fast with it."

Kai looked at his hands. He hadn't tried since leaving the arctic, first because fire on their ice floe was a bad idea, then the desert had been plenty hot without fire. He was comfortable with the fire now, but could he really use his fire to fly?

"It'll be our best shot," Adam admitted. "If that turtle is hiding rocket boosters on its feet or Charlie tries to sabotage your run, your fire bursts could get you away the fastest."

"Okay, then let's do this!" Kai grinned, excited to test his powers.

Adam nodded and went back to Charlie and Zippy. "We'll race with you."

"Great!" Charlie gave a wild grin. "If we head straight, there's a pile of metal shaped like Zippy here three miles ahead. First one there, wins, agreed?"

"Agreed," Adam said, adding in a murmur, "Three miles?"

Kai blinked at the desert, suddenly glad Adam wasn't running the race. Three miles in the burning desert might have been too much. Although…

"We'll be right behind you," Mira said, as if she could sense Kai's thoughts.

"Oh, you can catch a ride with me," Charlie said. She leaned down with startling swiftness and grabbed Adam's arm. "There's plenty of room!"

"Uh, won't that slow Zippy?" Adam asked. He'd planted his feet, but was slowly being dragged closer to Zippy.

"Nah, he's a strong old boy," Charlie said. She jerked hard, causing Adam to lose his balance and stumble into Zippy's shell. "You too, Mira."

"Um…"

Charlie grabbed the back of Adam's shirt and hauled him onto Zippy's back. Adam scrambled to steady himself, then gave Kai and Mira a helpless shrug.

"Fine," Mira said.

Adam helped Mira onto Zippy. Charlie picked up the reins that had previously been laying on Zippy's neck. Kai braced himself beside Zippy.

"On three!" Charlie said. "One…"

Kai's eyes widened. In the craziness of sorting out Charlie and Zippy in his mind, he'd forgotten one very important question…

"Two…"

"Wait! If I lose, what will you take?"

Charlie's grin turned feral. "Oh, I'll think of something. Three! Hyah, Zippy!"

And it was probably a good thing Kai, frustrated over not asking the price of losing earlier, was slow to run because be would have tripped and fallen flat on his face when Zippy bolted. He gaped for two seconds, and the turtle was already a hundred feet away!

"What in the world?!" Kai yelped, rushing forward.

He pushed his feet as fast as he could, but Zippy was quickly drawing away.

"Kai!" Mira yelled. She waved her hands. "Fire!"

Oh, right. Without stopping, Kai flung his arms behind him. "Please work!"

Fire burst to life in his palm. Kai blasted into the air, the sudden rise startling him and causing him to fall to his knees. He scrambled back to his feet, readied himself for the force, and pressed his fire back to life.

This time, Kai stayed airborne. He wobbled a bit, then straightened his body and steadied his hands. He built up incredible speed in no time, and started gaining on Zippy.

The desert raced by in a blur of tan. Kai whooped, grinning at the wind blowing through sweaty hair.

Charlie glanced back at the yell. She hunched forward, and Zippy sped up.

Well, two could play at that game! Kai lowered his head, pushing his powers for more fire, more speed-

_Too fast, too fast! Flames roared and crackled, snapping at his fingers, blistering heat on his face-_

Kai struck something, snapping him back to the present with the harsh feeling of sandpaper against his face. He tumbled head-over-heels, sand scraping his face and hands before he finally ground to a halt.

Rhythmatic thuds urged Kai into lifting his head. Ahead, sunlight gleamed against metal. He was so close!

Kai tried to stand, but his legs were shaking and his palms burned from impact with the sand. His breathing came in sharp gasps. The headache was back, so bad his vision doubled, and pain blazed in his arm.

Kai feebly tried to call up a flame, but nothing happened. He braced his hands against the sand, staring blankly ahead as the thumps got closer.

"Kai!"

Mira's voice made Kai start. He blinked and looked to the side as Zippy raced by. Mira and Adam twisted to keep watching him, worry in their eyes.

Kai dropped his head. Everything hurt. He couldn't stand, couldn't even make fire. Panic remained from the memory, or whatever it had been, making his heart race. He felt like passing out, probably would anytime now.

Charlie would win the race. So what? They'd give her something out of Adam's inventory, and they could go on their way. At least Mira and Adam had gotten a bit of a break.

Something made Kai lift his head. His gaze found his teammates, watching him with worry still. Behind them, Charlie was looking back with that dangerous grin.

_Something precious…_

Kai's heart, just starting to slow, flew back into a frenzy. Charlie didn't just want a knick-knack the team had picked up along the way. She wanted something precious to Kai! And with few possessions and fewer memories, that meant-

Mira and Adam!

Kai was on his feet before he realized he was moving. He stumbled, but focused calling fire to his torn hands. He needed speed, he had to save his friends, he had to move!

Fire _whooshed_ to life, and Kai was off like a shot.

Wind tore at his face, making his eyes water and cuts sting, but he couldn't slow. Zippy was already almost at the end, he need to go faster! Kai urged his fire stronger, panic pressing on his mind and surging not-memories tugging his focus. He squinted, sure he was ahead or close-

Zippy was yards away, and Kai had half a mile.

A broken cry burst out of Kai's chest. His fire flared in response, blasting him faster. Tears streamed from his eyes, having nothing to do with the wind.

Too much.

_Too_ _fast._

_Stopstopstop!_

His vision skewed, everything going sideways as Zippy rushed up close. Shell and sand filled his vision, blurring in _light off metal, glinting and blinding and flickering flames rising, smoke in his lungs-_

_"Wake up!"_

_A voice, distorted and odd, yelling at him, tugging, poking, and he couldn't breathe, just go!_

_"Stop fighting me, you idiot!"_

_...what? Confusion pulled, toward darkness and pain, but Kai pushed back. Light and relief caressed, so Kai pushed further._

_Flame vanished, and a new voice was there, calling to him, pulling him…_

"Come on, Kai! Wake up!"

Mira?

* * *

**A/N: I'm having fun. Is everyone else having fun?**

**Many thanks to Prophe-Cass for the characters Charlie and Zippy. I had _so_ much fun with Charlie, and she's been adopted into a plot element so you can't have her back! -runs away-**


	6. The Turtle

**A/N: Oopsie, I got distracted by other impulse fics. :P Don't worry, though, I rather like this story and want to get it written.**

**Thanks again to Prophe-Cass. I'm having fun with Charlie. XD**

* * *

"Kai!"

Zippy hadn't even come to a complete stop before Mira slid off his back. She tripped, fell to her knees, then was pulled to her feet by Adam. Both teens bolted toward Kai.

When he'd first fallen, Mira had thought he'd only lost his concentration. But then he'd taken off again, and his expression had been odd. Distant. Pained. His fire had failed as he shot by, dropping him like a stone into the sand.

He hadn't moved. Didn't move, even when Mira screamed his name as she ran. Mira dropped to her knees beside her friend.

Kai was curled in a fetal position, breathing labored like he wasn't getting enough air. Smoke rose from one hand while the other pressed against his chest.

"Kai, what's wrong?" Mira demanded, grabbing his arm.

Kai twitched away with a cry. "Go!"

Mira looked at Adam, who scowled down at Kai. "Adam, what's wrong?"

"I don't know." He knelt, touching Kai's arm. "Kai, come on, talk to me."

"Come on, Kai! Wake up!" Mira added.

Kai only whimpered. Mira grabbed his skinned, overheated hand and squeezed. Kai twitched with a slight gasp, then his frame relaxed.

"That's it," Mira soothed as Kai's breathing steadied. "There you go, just breathe."

Kai grimaced, whispering, "Sorry."

"It's okay," Mira said. "Nothing to apologize for."

"Won't… make…" Kai's voice trailed off. His eyes opened. "Mira?"

Mira smiled. "Yeah. It's okay now."

Kai blinked once, twice, then sat up with a groan. "No, it's not. I lost the race, and now Charlie's gonna take you two!"

Take them? Horror filled Mira as she realized what Kai was saying. She looked over her shoulder, noticing two things.

Charlie, leaning against a metal sculpture of Zippy, and Zippy still standing behind the statue.

Mira remembered Kai flying by a minute before, and grinned. "Actually, Kai, you won!"

Kai blinked. "I did?"

"You did, even if you flew instead of ran," Charlie scoffed. "But, a deal is a deal. You won. Congrats." She gave a wide grin.

"Um… thanks?" Kai said.

He sounded nervous, though Mira didn't blame him. Had Charlie always had such pointy teeth?

Charlie pushed off of the sculpture and went to Zippy. "He's yours for the day, as promised. He'll go wherever you direct him. He can swim, but he doesn't like the cold. In twenty-four hours, though, make sure you're off his back unless you want a rematch."

Charlie took Zippy's reins and led the silent turtle to the trio. She held out the reins to Kai, who took them hesitantly. She leveled a stare at Kai, but turned on her heel and walked away without a word.

"Where are you going?" Kai asked as he scrambled to his feet. "We're in the middle of nowhere!"

"Why are you even worried?" Adam murmured.

Charlie stopped and turned. "Zippy will find me in twenty-four hours." A knowing grin split her face. "See you on the other side."

"'Other side?'" Mira repeated, but Charlie had only turned and resumed striding away.

"Should we go after her?" Kai asked.

"Uh, no," Mira said, raising an eyebrow. "Besides the fact that she was probably about to separate us, NPC's will only follow their programming. No matter what we said or did, she'd just keep walking."

"But…"

Adam shook his head. "Just forget her, Kai. We'll probably never see her again."

Kai frowned. "But I heard her voice in my head!"

"Just now?" Mira asked.

"No, during the race… or maybe after I crashed?" Kai frowned. "I can't remember what she said, but she was pulling me… she wanted me to go with her."

Adam sighed. "First I heard That Weird Guy, now you're hearing Charlie? What's going on in this game?"

Mira squinted in Charlie's direction. The girl hadn't slowed or turned. She'd gone from sly to cool and knowing in a matter of minutes. What was up?

"Who comes up with this stuff?" Kai groaned, rubbing his face.

Mira focused on her teammate. "How do you feel, Kai? Does your arm hurt at all?"

"Not now," Kai said. He moved his hand in front of his face. "Nothing hurts."

"After a wreck like that?" Adam asked, incredulous.

"I don't know," Kai said, huffing. He abruptly climbed onto Zippy's back. "Let's go."

Mira shrugged at Adam, then climbed up behind Kai. While Adam joined them, Mira checked the sun.

"We need to go that way," Mira said pointing in the opposite direction of Charlie.

Kai twitched the reins, urging Zippy into a fast trot… in the wrong direction.

"Kai," Mira said, grabbing the teen's shoulder. "This way takes us deeper into the desert."

For a moment, Kai didn't respond. Mira shook Kai's shoulder, making him jump.

"Kai, this is the wrong way."

"Hm? Yeah, I heard," Kai said.

Kai turned Zippy the right way. Mira didn't say a word, even when Kai let go of the reins with one hand to rub his other arm. She turned around, then stiffened.

Charlie had stopped and turned. Her hood was up now, hiding half her face in shadow. Though, it did nothing to hide her toothy smile.

Mira looked forward, wondering if they were going the right way after all.

* * *

They made good time across the desert. Mira worried about Zippy when they reached the cliffs, but Zippy simply worked his way down the steep rocks and plopped into the water to swim.

"Where can I get a turtle like this in real life?" Adam chuckled as land swiftly vanished behind them.

Mira leaned back on her hands. "How would you feed a turtle like this in real life?"

Adam hummed. "There goes my allowance."

"We'd keep him at Kai's place," Mira suggested. "His family's got a big yard."

"There we go. How about it, Kai?"

Kai, face turned to the right, didn't respond. Mira sat up and tapped his shoulder.

Kai jumped. "Wha?!"

Mira flinched at his yell. "It's just me, Kai."

Kai twisted to look at her. His expression was distant and worried, but quickly cleared into curiosity.

"What did you say?" Kai asked.

"I was just… are you okay?"

Kai blinked. "Yeah, why?"

"You've been really distracted since the race," Mira said.

"I've just been thinking," Kai said with a shrug.

"Anything you want to talk about?" Adam asked.

"I said I was just thinking," Kai snapped. "Let me have that little bit of privacy."

"I was just asking," Adam retorted.

Mira put a hand in either boy's face before they could argue. "Guys, just calm down. We won't push you, Kai. We just want to make sure you're okay."

"Everything's fine," Kai said, facing forward. "Just fine."

Mira looked at Adam, then rolled her eyes when she saw he'd turned his back on Kai.

"_Boys_," Mira thought.

* * *

The trip became a bit awkward in the silence. Adam eventually dozed off again. Mira thought that Kai did as well, but when she leaned to check, Kai was just staring at nothing.

Finally, Mira got tired of the silence. She stood up and stretched, causing Kai to look back.

"I'm taking a swim," Mira said. "I won't go far."

Mira dove without waiting for a response. She swam around Zippy a couple times, adjusting to breathing underwater before diving.

Using dolphin-like motions, Mira swam hard and fast through the water. It steadily grew colder and darker the deeper she went, until Mira was shivering and she couldn't see a thing. Mira stopped and drifted for a minute. She closed her eyes.

The swimming was calming, but Mira still found her thoughts drifting toward worry. Something was obviously wrong with Kai, or at least he had something on his mind. So why wouldn't he tell them? Did he not trust them? The thought hurt, considering how the team always shared their thoughts.

Mira realized her teeth were chattering. She turned and swam up until she saw Zippy's silhouette.

Mira poked her head out of the water. She smiled upon seeing Adam and Kai talking calmly, then dove again.

Maybe she was thinking too much into it. Adam and Kai usually bickered in The Hollow, so it wasn't like this time around would be any more different. They always made up. And Kai was having to deal with a bit of an info dump, as she and Adam steadily told him more things about the game that he'd forgotten.

Deciding to just relax, Mira returned to the surface and swam hard and fast. Seemingly seconds later, Mira noticed land ahead. She slowed to a stop.

"We're almost there!" Mira called back. She turned. "Hey, we're…"

Zippy and the boys were nowhere in sight. Mira briefly panicked, then shook her head at herself. She'd just swam further than she thought.

"I know better than that," Mira huffed at herself as she paddled back the way she'd come. "We're supposed to stick together. Though, it's not like anything will hurt me here."

Mira's self-scolding trailed off after a few minutes, leaving her with just the splashing waves. She pushed herself faster when Zippy still didn't appear, wondering just how far she'd gone. It was starting to get dark, too. Once night fell, Mira would be on her own if she didn't find Zippy!

Luckily, before she could panic, she spotted a dark spot in the distance. She swam on, sighing in relief when Zippy and the boys came into view.

By the time Mira reached Zippy, the sky had fast become dark. Mira drifted to Zippy's side, exhaustion suddenly making itself present when she grabbed Zippy's shell. She was grateful when Adam grabbed her arm.

"Where were you?" Adam asked as he practically lifted Mira from the water. "You were gone for hours!"

"It's nice to just swim," Mira said, sitting between the boys. "Sorry."

Adam sighed. "Well, nothing can hurt you in the water."

"Really?" Kai asked.

"Not me," Mira said. She blinked owlishly. "We're almost to land."

"Great!" Adam touched Mira's arm. "Are you okay?"

Mira yawned. "Yeah, just… tired."

"I thought we didn't have to sleep," Kai said.

"I just swam for hours," Mira mumbled. She was sagging slowly onto her side, and she didn't fight when sleep swept over her.

* * *

Mira was admittedly a bit disappointed when she didn't hear any voices in her sleep. As mysterious as they were, Mira liked puzzles.

Regardless of her wish, she slept peacefully and woke to darkness. From the rocking and heavy footsteps, Mira guessed they'd reached land. She shifted, not realizing someone was holding her until their arms tightened around her.

"Mira?" Adam murmured.

"I'm awake," Mira assured him so he would let go. "Where are we?"

"Some forest, I guess," Adam said, still in a quiet tone. "Haven't been able to see a thing you got back."

"Kai?" Mira asked, wondering why he hadn't formed a flame for them.

"Sleeping."

Mira hummed, then sat carefully forward. "Zippy? Do you need to stop?"

The turtle didn't respond beyond continuing to walk. Mira shook her head, wondering at Zippy's silence.

Mira continued to doze, mostly to pass the time. There was nothing to see or do, so Mira managed to sleep for some time. When she finally woke and stretched, it was daylight.

"Where are we at?" Mira asked.

Adam took his eyes off the forest and pulled out the map. Mira leaned over his shoulder, and was surprised by how far down the coast they'd gone before Zippy reached land.

"We missed the spider realm completely," Adam said, tapping a black section of map.

Kai's eyes got huge. "'Spider realm'?"

"The spider-people are actually very nice," Mira assured him. She winced. "As long as the other team hasn't already passed through and made them think all kids are evil."

"I think we're between the amusement park and coast now," Adam went on as he trailed a finger along the colored sections of the map. "At least Zippy seems to know where he's going."

"I told him to find the ghost town, like Adam said," Kai explained.

"It can't be that easy," Mira immediately said.

"I know," Adam said. "I'm keeping an eye out."

Mira eyed him. "Did you sleep last night?"

"No need," Adam said.

"Oh, right. I forget that sometimes," Mira said. "We aren't usually in here this long."

"How long before things glitch out?" Kai asked nervously, having heard of their last game from Mira.

"No telling, if it even does," Mira said. "The glitching out was a new, big idea. I don't think they'd use it if we knew what was happening."

"Knowing about the glitching makes it better?" Kai asked.

"Well, if the game glitches out, we just wake up and lose," Mira said. "Our real-life selves aren't in any danger."

"But it sure would be disappointing to know what was happening and not be able to stop it," Adam said.

"What if we just stayed here and the game didn't end?" Kai asked.

Mira raised an eyebrow. "And do what?"

Kai shrugged. "Explore?"

"We'd run out of places to go and we'd just wander around doing nothing," Mira said.

"You want to be a NPC?" Adam asked with a chuckle.

Kai, expression turning oddly wistful, didn't respond. Adam's chuckles quieted as his eyes grew wider.

"Kai, you do realize that none of this is real, right?" Mira asked cautiously.

"Yeah, I guess."

"The game can't go on forever," Adam added. "We'd have to wake up eventually to take care of our real-life bodies."

"And we can't stay here while something takes care of our body on the outside?" Kai asked.

"Well…" Mira bit her lip. "I mean, we could. In theory. You've talked about that in real life."

They'd talked about it a lot, actually. It was an ongoing joke between them in real life. Wish for superpowers? Live in The Hollow. Real life is dull? Live in The Hollow. Tired of school? Live in The Hollow.

Recently, though, Mira sometimes thought Kai sounded a little too serious in his "joking." His tinkering with his own VR equipment had started turning into something larger and straight out of a sci-fi movie.

Mira suddenly wondered what would happen if someone in virtual reality didn't want to wake up. Could they refuse? Had Kai ever tried it? And if not, would he? Was that why...

"And?"

Mira startled at Kai's voice. "And what?"

"Would that be possible?"

"I don't think so," Mira said. "I don't think about it too much."

Mira turned and pretended to be fascinated with the forest. She was silently grateful when Adam took her cue and suggested they stop and stretch their legs.

"I'll try," Kai said. "Hey, Zippy, can we take a break?"

Zippy came to a very gradual halt. Kai, already moving on from the conversation, immediately slid off and wandered off. Mira hopped to the ground and stretched, then realized Adam was right at her side.

"Are you okay?" Adam asked.

"Yeah, why do you ask?"

"You suddenly got pale."

Mira grimaced as the half-finished thought returned. "It's nothing."

Mira walked away, but Adam followed. Mira scowled at him. Maybe Kai had been right about Adam's nosiness.

Adam saw the look and immediately stopped. He raised his hands in surrender, though his eyes were worried.

Mira caved. "I think I know why Kai doesn't have his memories."

Adam blinked, clearly not expecting that. "Why?"

"We must have our memories for a reason. A new twist to The Hollow, or something…" Mira trailed off, not wanting to voice her thoughts.

"Maybe this is just a beta," Adam suggested. "And they chose us because we won the championship."

Mira blinked, not having thought of that. She shook her head. The reasons weren't important just now.

"But why would Kai be left out?" Adam asking, bringing them back on topic.

"I think Kai's been planning to try and stay in the VR by not letting himself wake up." Mira bit her lip.

"So, he doesn't have any memories..."

Mira finished, "To protect him."

* * *

**A/N: ****Did I base that last encounter with Charlie on the Benjamins? Yes. Yes, I did.**

**This chapter wasn't supposed to end yet, but I need to switch POVs. If the next chapter ends up short and dull (though it's about time I had some silly stuff, yes?) it's because Adam's chapter needs to start in a particular place.**


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